Schapelle Corby: 20 years since Gold Coast woman arrested in Bali for drug smuggling

The Schapelle Corby saga was one of the biggest news stories in Australia for more than a decade and made the Gold Coaster a household name. This is how it began.

The Schapelle Corby saga was one of the biggest news stories in Australia for more than a decade and made the Gold Coaster a household name.

Corby was 27 when she was arrested in Bali in 2004 on allegations she had smuggled 4.2kg of marijuana into the Indonesian holiday destination in a bodyboard bag.

What followed was a media circus which continued until Corby was finally deported back to Australia in May 2017.

Ironically, her arrest 20 years ago this week was not front page news.

Corby was arrested at Bali airport on the afternoon of Friday October 8, 2004 while on a trip with her brother James to visit their sister Mercedes who lived in Kuta with her husband.

However the arrest did not become public until two days later.

The event was largely overshadowed by that weekend’s federal election which saw John Howard’s government re-elected for the final time.

Schapelle Corby is escorted by police to court in Denpasar in October 2004

Her father Michael spoke to Bulletin police reporter and future Corby biographer Tony Wilson and maintained his daughter’s innocence.

packet of cigarettes.

‘‘No drugs. This is just a bloody set-up somewhere, somehow,’’ he said.

‘‘I’m being treated for prostate cancer and I’m not supposed to have any stress, well, what about this for stress?

“I can’t even sleep and I know my daughter is not guilty of this,’’ he said.

‘‘The first question I want answered is that with all this anti-terrorist checking at Australian airports, how is Schapelle supposed to have got more than four kilos past all the checks at Sydney airport? It just doesn’t make sense. She’s not dumb, she wouldn’t try something so stupid and she doesn’t have anything to do with drugs anyway.’’

Customs officers examine the 2.4 kilograms of marijuana seized.

The Corby case became a media circus through the first half of 2005 as she stood trial in Bali, pleading not guilty.

It attracted several colourful characters, including Gold Coast lawyer Robin Tampoe, flamboyant Indonesian lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea and Gold Coast developer Ron Bakir who financially backed Corby’s case to the tune of more than $200,000.

Claims were raised that corrupt baggage handlers had been responsible for the drugs but this was never proven.

The verdict was brought down at noon Australian time on May 27, 2005 and was broadcast live across the world.

Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby cries following verdict in her trial at a court in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, 27/05/05.

Coby was convicted of drug smuggling and was given a 20-year jail sentence.

Her mother Rosleigh Rose embraced her daughter in the moments after her conviction.

“She just came over and gave us a big smile and said, ‘I will be coming home soon’, and just told her father to be strong, it will be all right. I just gave her a kiss and said you will be home soon. I love her so much,” she said.

When asked what she yelled at the judges in the moments after the verdict was read, she said: “‘You bloody things, you bloody judges. You won’t have another night’s sleep. You took the word of a bloody liar, one of you people, a bloody Customs officer,” she said.

“ Our people, our witnesses swore on the Bible, they did, but you take the word of one liar’. They didn’t use our witnesses at all.”

Corby ultimately spent nine years behind bars during which time Michael Corby died of cancer.

After receiving several sentence reductions, Cory was freed on parole in February 2014 but forced to remain in Bali a further three years.

She has been the subject of a 2014 film starring Krew Boylan, Colin Friels and Vince Colosimo and several books.

Corby still lives on the Gold Coast and in the years since her return has been a contestant on several reality TV programs.